1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of beverage makers, coffee makers, water heaters, and water boilers, and more particularly relates to a system for detecting flow in hot water containers such as in galley inserts on aircraft.
2. General Background and State-of-the-Art
Referring to FIG. 1, illustrating a prior art water boiler having a manual faucet or tap 10, operated manually by a handle 12 to dispense hot water from a water tank 14, certain water boilers, water heaters, coffee makers, or the like, hereafter referred to as “units,” use such a manual faucet or tap to dispense hot water. In these units, the control circuitry that controls heating of the water does not initiate heating of the water as soon as water is being dispensed. These units' control circuits solely rely on detection of the temperature of the water in the tank to turn the heaters on and off. In these units, the heaters are turned on only when the detected water temperature inside the tank falls below a pre-set limit. As a result, the control circuitry cannot anticipate the need for heating the water. The drawback of this approach is that it creates a delay between the time when water is being withdrawn and when the heaters are turned on.
It would be desirable to provide a more reliable, less expensive and lighter system to detect flow from a water heater container, using a sensor to detect and convert physical movement of the faucet handle to an open or closed circuit. The present invention satisfies these and other needs.